mountain $$
a good investment is a water purifier pump, that way you always have access to potable water.
also a good fixed blade knife
Going on my first hunt next week....Advice?
- Thread starter itgoesboom
- Start date
a good investment is a water purifier pump, that way you always have access to potable water.
also a good fixed blade knife
FrontSight
New member
Wow, Elk, for your first hunt? You are one seriously lucky guy...
Always good to bring a first aid kit, some waterproof matches, some rope, a good knife, a compass (or even better a GPS with extra batteries) and know how to use all - none of these are too heavy, and if you need them you'll thank god you have them.
Definitely follow the advice of make yourself useful and not to talk about things you do not know - be respectful and humble and helpful, that always guarantees acceptance, unless they are a bunch of jerks.
And Enjoy!
Always good to bring a first aid kit, some waterproof matches, some rope, a good knife, a compass (or even better a GPS with extra batteries) and know how to use all - none of these are too heavy, and if you need them you'll thank god you have them.
Definitely follow the advice of make yourself useful and not to talk about things you do not know - be respectful and humble and helpful, that always guarantees acceptance, unless they are a bunch of jerks.
And Enjoy!
MeekAndMild
New member
redhawk41 I looked up the the filter in Cabella's and they do say it filters giardia. At 0.3 micons it would also get most bacteria. But here is the catch. Polio, hepatitis and a host of other nasty viruses are filterable, which means they will pass through a submicron filter. (Polio is really really small, BTW, and just because you got the shots in 1952 doesn't mean you're still immune.) So don't forget the iodine tabs or Chlorox to reduce the virus loading in your filtered water. I would suspect that if somebody is drinking snow melt they could forgoe the filtration and just iodinize or chlorinate the water.
Here are some more tips I thought of last night:
1. Patience! When you see an elk, don't raise the gun and fire right away ("elk fever"). Wait for that broad-side shot at a reasonable range. 200 yards or less is best, and 100 yards or less is better. Don't try to make a head shot or other such foolishness. Never shoot an animal in the ass. Try and wait and take a shot at a standing (non-moving) animal. If it is walking, you can also try the shot. Shooting at a running animal will probably result in a miss or, (even worse) a wounded animal.
2. The more orange you wear, the better. There are a lot of idiots out there that will shoot at darn near anything (noise, movement behind trees, etc.). Don't rely on being on private land to ensure your safety from poachers. They can (and probably will) be sneaking around that private land to poach.
3. Beware of your own movement. The two that I have to watch for are hand movement and shifting around while standing. Snot running down your nose (or an itch, etc.)? Let it run/itch! If you are going to still hunt (which is best for a beginner), it is probably best to sit so your legs don't get tired and you don't have to shift from one leg to another like you would if you were standing.
4. If you shoot an animal which runs away, STOP. Don't start tracking it right away. Mark the spot in the terrain where it ran off, and wait at least 20 minutes (which will seem like an eternity). Let it run a little and (hopefully) fall down, stiffen up, and die. If you start after it right away, it will realize you're after it, and it may run for miles. And you'll have the exhausting experience of trying to track an animal for miles.
5. If you shoot an animal which drops, STOP. Reload, reaquire it in the scope, and be ready to shoot again. Sometimes they will drop, and then get up to walk/run away. Wait at least 10 minutes, and then walk up to it.
6. If you wound it, you are obligated to try and find it. Once again, choose your shot carefully. Too far away? Then don't shoot! There is nothing worse than wounding an animal and not being able to find it (I've learned this the hard way). And you never know, if you don't take that poor shot, it might wander back to present a better shot (or others may be around that you just have not seen yet). The hardest part of hunting (for me, anyway) is not making a reasonable shot -- its passing up on a bad shot.
7. You're a beginner, so you are going to have to have one of the more experienced hunters gut and quarter the animal for you. Watch carefully so you can do it yourself (under supervision) the next time.
8. If you get an animal, be happy about it and tell the other hunters with you about the shot. But don't over-do it, because there are sure to be some in your group who don't get an animal, and there is nothing worse than someone who constantly talks about how well he did when you didn't even see an animal.
9. The other hunters who are taking you are doing you a favor. Be nice and make sure and buy them lunch, pitch in for gas, etc. They will notice this (or the lack of it!).
10. Avoid confrontations with poachers and/or other hunters. I don't care how rude they are, or how right you are. It ain't worth having an argument with someone who is armed. And if they are a local, you will really have problems. A Sheriff will almost always side with a local, especially when the Sheriff notices that you have a rifle and that revolver (which I've already commented about
).
Hope these tips help, and have a great time!!!
1. Patience! When you see an elk, don't raise the gun and fire right away ("elk fever"). Wait for that broad-side shot at a reasonable range. 200 yards or less is best, and 100 yards or less is better. Don't try to make a head shot or other such foolishness. Never shoot an animal in the ass. Try and wait and take a shot at a standing (non-moving) animal. If it is walking, you can also try the shot. Shooting at a running animal will probably result in a miss or, (even worse) a wounded animal.
2. The more orange you wear, the better. There are a lot of idiots out there that will shoot at darn near anything (noise, movement behind trees, etc.). Don't rely on being on private land to ensure your safety from poachers. They can (and probably will) be sneaking around that private land to poach.
3. Beware of your own movement. The two that I have to watch for are hand movement and shifting around while standing. Snot running down your nose (or an itch, etc.)? Let it run/itch! If you are going to still hunt (which is best for a beginner), it is probably best to sit so your legs don't get tired and you don't have to shift from one leg to another like you would if you were standing.
4. If you shoot an animal which runs away, STOP. Don't start tracking it right away. Mark the spot in the terrain where it ran off, and wait at least 20 minutes (which will seem like an eternity). Let it run a little and (hopefully) fall down, stiffen up, and die. If you start after it right away, it will realize you're after it, and it may run for miles. And you'll have the exhausting experience of trying to track an animal for miles.
5. If you shoot an animal which drops, STOP. Reload, reaquire it in the scope, and be ready to shoot again. Sometimes they will drop, and then get up to walk/run away. Wait at least 10 minutes, and then walk up to it.
6. If you wound it, you are obligated to try and find it. Once again, choose your shot carefully. Too far away? Then don't shoot! There is nothing worse than wounding an animal and not being able to find it (I've learned this the hard way). And you never know, if you don't take that poor shot, it might wander back to present a better shot (or others may be around that you just have not seen yet). The hardest part of hunting (for me, anyway) is not making a reasonable shot -- its passing up on a bad shot.
7. You're a beginner, so you are going to have to have one of the more experienced hunters gut and quarter the animal for you. Watch carefully so you can do it yourself (under supervision) the next time.
8. If you get an animal, be happy about it and tell the other hunters with you about the shot. But don't over-do it, because there are sure to be some in your group who don't get an animal, and there is nothing worse than someone who constantly talks about how well he did when you didn't even see an animal.
9. The other hunters who are taking you are doing you a favor. Be nice and make sure and buy them lunch, pitch in for gas, etc. They will notice this (or the lack of it!).
10. Avoid confrontations with poachers and/or other hunters. I don't care how rude they are, or how right you are. It ain't worth having an argument with someone who is armed. And if they are a local, you will really have problems. A Sheriff will almost always side with a local, especially when the Sheriff notices that you have a rifle and that revolver (which I've already commented about
).Hope these tips help, and have a great time!!!
Ya the revolover is alittle too much in my books (we wernt allowed to hunt with them anyways ever). I rather take a 2nd shot at a animal from a safe distance then go that close that I could use a pistol to shoot it anyways
As for the cops siding with the locals if they are poachers or tresspassers I feel bad for you on your hunt.
Up here the person who has rightful use is always sided with and the other guys get thrown in jail/fined/revokation of there hunting licenses. 
Police and Conservation Officers (Like your Wildlife Officers I think) always side with the rightful party up here since they hate poachers and tresspassers, mainly because the rightful parties in these situations are normally the ones that dont over hunt and donate to conservation stuff and the like You know we people that are in the right arnt the people that move into a area and kill every single living animal and leave the bodys on the ground and take there antlers etc only :barf: I got pently of events of this happening with friends and other hunters I know too.
Dimitri
itgoesboom
New member
Thanks everyone for all the advice. I am checking this message several times through the day, as well as the one @ THR. I am getting pretty excited, but I am trying to temper that by realizing my odds aren't very great.
Still sounds like a lot of fun, no matter if we get one or not.
Fremmer,
I understand your concerns about the revolver, and I do see your point about it looking confrontational, and the weight as well. On the other hand though, I am a non-confrontational person who carries everyday anyways, and have for 3 years. Also the pistol will be concealed under my jacket most of the time.
I just remember reading all of those articles about the Chai Vang case were he chased down everyone who was unarmed, and shot them in the back. I know the odds of that happening out here are slim-none, but it still is something that concerns me a little bit. So the revolver is there to make sure that I always have something on me. One of those little things I had to do reassure my wife that I would be okay going hunting (she isn't so excited about it).
I.G.B.
Still sounds like a lot of fun, no matter if we get one or not.
Fremmer,
I understand your concerns about the revolver, and I do see your point about it looking confrontational, and the weight as well. On the other hand though, I am a non-confrontational person who carries everyday anyways, and have for 3 years. Also the pistol will be concealed under my jacket most of the time.
I just remember reading all of those articles about the Chai Vang case were he chased down everyone who was unarmed, and shot them in the back. I know the odds of that happening out here are slim-none, but it still is something that concerns me a little bit. So the revolver is there to make sure that I always have something on me. One of those little things I had to do reassure my wife that I would be okay going hunting (she isn't so excited about it).
I.G.B.
Thanks for the tip Meek.
Here is some good info on water purification:
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/water.shtml
Here is some good info on water purification:
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/water.shtml
MeekAndMild
New member
And thanks for the link. From it comes an important statement which could easily justify using both filters and chemicals, then putting the final product in freezer bags to carry around inside one's jacket for a few hours before using it. "The colder the water, the less effective the chemical is as a purifying agent." Cold is not a problem down here in the subtropics but could be a real factor up in elk country.
BTW, I forgot about rotaviruses. A girl at work had a rotavirus infection last summer she picked up from her kid. She was sick for nearly 2 months! :barf:
BTW, I forgot about rotaviruses. A girl at work had a rotavirus infection last summer she picked up from her kid. She was sick for nearly 2 months! :barf:
